Scrumtrulescence: 3 Women of Sci-Fi (Blonde Machine Edition)

Scrumtrulescent – adj: so great that any other word employed would be woefully insufficient, and would serve only to limit the sheer magnitude of the greatness intended as a descriptor.

Jaime Sommers (Cyborg – Lindsay Wagner)

For many–me included–Jaime Sommers was our first female cyborg of note. With cybernetic legs, right arm, and right ear she became the second bionic agent that OSI head Oscar Goldman could turn to in times of crisis. But Jaime was more than just a six-million-dollar cyborg with girl parts.

What makes Jaime Sommers particularly noteworthy is her humanity. From what I’ve heard and read, we owe a fair amount of that to Ms Wagner’s behind-the-scenes fighting for her character. She insisted that Jaime always be human. This made Jaime a much more complicated and more compelling character than six-million-dollar-man Steve Austin was.

It was easy to see why Oscar was more paternal with this agent than with others. Jaime was “real”. She hadn’t asked for what had been done to her, but her obligation to fairness dictated that she couldn’t simply say, “Thanks for the parts; see ya!” Jamie had super-human abilities and yet was all too human underneath. She cared. We cared.

Lindsay Wagner has also had a very interesting run of things outside of her 70s cyborg. She’s well-known for her plethora of TV movies and feature films. She’s also been active in causes relating to abuse and violence as well as pursuing tracks to help awaken human potential. You can find out more at http://www.lindsaywagnerinternational.com/

Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct to Unimatrix Zero-One (Cyborg – Jeri Ryan)

The catsuit was an attention-grabber. Sleek, silvery, and all but sprayed on the attractive form of one Jeri Ryan. If that’s all Seven was going to be, the character wouldn’t have endured. As with Jaime Sommers, Seven became so much more than the <ahem> sum of her parts.

Seven of Nine’s rediscovery of what it was to be human after spending most of her life as a member of the Borg collective (the Borg Queen’s favorite, so said the queen bee) was what allowed the character to be more than a sensual plot device. Seven wasn’t immune to fear and doubt, but she had the strength of character to fight through them. This innate inner strength was bolstered by Captain Janeway’s maternal faith in her unlikely “daughter”.

For a fan of Jaime Sommers, what adds to Seven’s already compelling nature is that the characters are mirrors of each other. Jaime deals with being a human that is now part machine; Seven was essentially a machine and is now dealing with being human. Jaime has a father figure, Seven a mother figure. Jaime increasingly becomes more like how she was before being cyborged; Seven becomes increasingly less like how she was as a cyborg.

Credit must be given to Jeri Ryan for imbuing the character with a lot of subtleties that made her one of the most memorable characters in the sizable Star Trek concordance–joining the likes of Data and Spock.

Jeri Lynn Ryan has been a continuing fixture on television, both as a regular cast member and as a guest. She is co-owner (with her French chef husband, Christophe Émé) of the L.A. restaurant Ortolan. You can find her on Twitter @JeriLRyan

Number Six (Cylon – Tricia Helfer)

The Sixes are memorable in large part because of what Tricia Helfer brought to them. Tricia was able to make multiple versions of the same model seem like distinct individuals. I’ll admit, with us mostly seeing “Head Six” at the start of the run of Battlestar Galactica, I wasn’t expecting a lot from the Sixes. But then we met Gina.

Gina was a Six who had a relationship with the Pegasus Admiral Cain. Following the Cylon attack on the colonies, Gina was captured and tortured. When we saw not only this brutalized Cylon laying on her cell floor but also the horrified reaction of Head Six…this ushered a new era in how the Sixes would be perceived for the rest of the series. There was also Caprica Six, who was instrumental in the genocide of the human species but who, after her resurrection, became an ally of humanity. Even for this individual Six, there were many layers requiring a nuanced presentation.

The Sixes were passionate and tragic. Of all the models, they were the most internally differentiated–and that’s due in large part to Ms Helfer’s growth with the character. While some Sixes were followers, many were very assertive. Through it all, the audience was rarely left scratching their head wondering which Six was which. It was amazing to watch. As a result, the Sixes became very memorable machines, indeed.

Tricia’s body of work continues to grow as her television appearances continue to draw attention. She and Katee Sackhoff (her bestie from BSG) formed “Acting Outlaws” to bring attention to various charitable causes. In addition to being visible on Twitter @trutriciahelfer, you can also find Tricia at her official site http://triciahelfer.com/